#BookQW

 This Wednesday's word is 'jaw' and Megan is sifting through some sketches she's been working on.

(Only five days to go until publication day!)

The Matchmaker's Mare   

Publication Date 5th May 2025

Pre-order HERE: 

Countdown to publication day

Six days to go!

These are mountains in Wales like the Mynydd y Graig,  up which Rhiannon and Sion fled in the prologue to THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE

A difficult ride in fine weather - but there was a snowstorm coming which made their journey even more dangerous...

How dangerous is told in the Prologue of The Matchmaker's Mare

available for  PRE-ORDER NOW

Counting down to Release Day!

 Less than a week to go until publication day - I'm getting excited!

These little kitties can hardly wait to get their paws on THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE

 'Haha', says Choccy. He's already got his copy! (It's available for pre-order but copies won't go out until after publication day. He must have contacts somewhere!) 😄  Wait ... I wonder where my author copy is?

PRE-ORDER LINK

Since quite a lot of the story is set at a horse training stables, I thought I'd list a few horsy terms for anyone who isn't familiar with them.

COLOURS (They can be a bit confusing)

WHITE - a white horse is technically a grey - evcn if it looks pure white. However, if it has pink skin and pale eyes it's an Albino. All foals born to a grey mare are born bay, chestnut or black. The coat lightens with age and the adult horse or pony can be any shade of grey from white to dark dappled grey.

CHESTNUT - not the colour of a horse chestnut as you might suppose, but 'red' ranging from a golden orange colour to dark almost mahogany red - with a light coloured or self coloured mane and tail, 'Star' the mare in THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE is chestnut. 

BAY - Red-brown, golden brown or chocolate brown with a black mane and tail and often black legs as well. (These are known as 'points') A really dark bay which can be nearly black, is known as 'brown'!

PALOMINO - traditionally the colour of a 'newly minted gold coin with a silver mane and tail'. This is a colour, not a breed, but horses and ponies can be bred to get this colour. a palomino crossed with

another palomino will usually, but not always, produce a palomino, and a chestnut crossed with a palomino will also usually produce a palomino. The body colour should be a lovely golden colour for preference,  but can range from pale gold to almost chestnut, but the mane and tail should be as close to silvery white as possible. Any dark or yellowish colouring in the mane and tail is frowned on.

PIEBALD - Black with white patches.

SKEWBALD - Any colour with white patches, except black.

In America both skewbald and piebald are called 'paints' which I think is a much nice term. Tobiano refers to a 'paint' that looks as if the white paint has been poured over its back, whereas an Overo refers to one that looks as if it's been turned upside down and had white paint poured over!

There are many other colours and variations, and some breeds, like the Suffolk Punch, are always chestnut, and the Exmoor pony, which is always varying shades of brown, black and bay, with a lighter fawn coloured muzzle and fawn patches around the eyes.   I hope you found this brief explanation of a few of the colours interesting.

RELEASE DATE 5th May 2025

REVIEW AND SPOTLIGHT - THE CORNISH WITCH

I am so happy to be part of this tour and thank you to Elena Collins and Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to read and review this book.

THE CORNISH WITCH

BLURB:

Now: When Megan’s father gets a letter containing a secret from the past, he asks her to go to the Cornish village of St Mawgen Cove to get to the bottom of the mystery. Megan is happy to take a holiday after a challenging year but as soon as she checks into The Ship Inn something feels amiss. There are noises in the room above, the locals tell tales of smugglers and shipwrecks and she can’t escape the story of the witch who waits and watches from the top of the cliff.

1625: Susanna and her daughter Katel live a contented life, but without the protection of a husband and father, Susanna fears for Katel’s future as she blossoms into womanhood. The fishing community of St Mawgen Cove is close knit but when misfortune arrives in the cove, it’s not long before villagers are looking for someone to blame. And when talk turns to witches, Susanna knows she and Katel are no longer safe.

Can Megan bring peace to St Mawgen and to two women who have been broken-hearted for centuries?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/TheCornishWitch

Author Bio 

Leigh writes dual timeline stories under the name of Elena Collins: the name is a tribute to her grandmother who was a teller of stories and fortunes, and she had healing hands.

These novels combine three of her passions: delving into rich historical tales, exploring stunning locations, and evoking the supernatural. They weave together stories of people's lives both past and present, with some spine-tingling moments along the way. She loves writing these novels and hopes readers enjoy them as much as she does. The characters and settings are particularly close to her heart.

Writing under the name of Judy Leigh, she is also the author of uplifting novels that explore the lives of older women and the possibilities of second chances, change, and happiness. Under this name, she writes the Morwenna Mutton/Seal Bay cozy crime series, set in Cornwall, featuring a sixty-something sleuth who enjoys solving crimes and getting into mischief.

Outside of writing, Leigh enjoys traveling, reading, music, and theatre. She holds an MA in Professional Writing. When she's not at her desk or spending time with her two black cats, she's often researching her next novel in some of the country's most beautiful locations and beyond.

Social Media Links

Facebook: @judyleighuk

Twitter: @JudyLeighWriter

Instagram: @judyrleigh

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/ElenaCollinsnewsletter

Bookbub profile: @elenacollins

MY REVIEW

This intriguing novel seamlessly weaves two time-lines. The author makes it easy to follow each one and to root for  Megan in this Century, and her search for the truth after her father receives a letter out of the blue.At the same time it is easy to sympathise with the plight of Susanna in her efforts to single handedly raise her sometimes headstrong daughter and keep her safe while working as a healer to keep them both fed.

Gradually the two timelines seem to subtly merge as Megan hears and sees flashes of the past. Is it her imagination, or is she really seeing and hearing the ghost said to haunt the area? And is the hotel she has booked into for her stay in St Mawgen's Cove connected with the legend? Then there is the mysterious diver she sees while surfing. He seems cold and aloof but he intrigues her. 

This atmospheric story combines the elements of mystery and family relationships with  hints of a blossoming romance. Susanna and Katel's storyline provides an insight into the hardships and customs of life in a fishing comunity in the 17th Century; the descriptions of the herbal remedies used, the dwellings, their simple meals, and the superstitions of these people living, had me completely convinced. There is an element of poignancy in this story as well, which is haunting in more ways than one. If you like a gentle romance, glimpses of the past and an intriguing, eerie atmosphereric setting I can recommend The Cornish Witch.

5 Stars

#BOOKQW

It's  #Book Quote Wednesday again. Today's word is #LONG

In this snippet, taken from the prologue to THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE, Rhiannon is fleeing from an arranged marriage, and racing to find her lover, the gypsy Sion.

Publication Date 5th May 2025

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

HAPPY EASTER MONDAY - and another Welsh legend, the Welsh Water Horse

Hello dear readers, I hope you had a lovely Easter and enjoy Easter Monday too!

Only another fourteen days until the release of The Matchmaker's Mare, I'm so excited! It's available now for pre-release on Amazon (and the paperback is reduced at the moment)

After the tale of Rhiannon, the goddess of the horse, which I told you about a few weeks ago, I thought I'd mention another of the mythical creatures of Wales, the Ceffyl Dŵr, literally translated into English this means the 'Water Horse'.

It is most commonly considered a counterpart to the Scotish Kelpie, but has also been compared to the  the Irish puca. The ceffyl Dŵr appears as a white or grey horse, or sometimes black, with a white mane and tail, sometimes glowing or wings. It is said to inhabit mostly mountain pools and waterfalls, although it has been known to frequent rivers and the sea as well. 

Depending on which region of Wales mentions the stories, the Ceffyl Dŵr was believed to shapeshift, as well as having the power of flight. For example, in North Wales, it is represented as being rather formidable with fiery eyes and a dark foreboding presence, whereas in South Wales is seen as merely mischievous. She also is known to walk on her hind legs and disappear down the well in the graveyard of St Illtyds church in Oxwich Bay, or to simply evaporate into the sea mist. Over the centuries there have been many sightings of Ceffyl Dwr mostly around St Illtyds church.

Although it appears solid, it can evaporate into a mist. In one legend the Ceffyl Dŵr leaps out of the water to trample and kill lone travellers. In another legend, the Ceffyl Dŵr rises from the sea and entices the unwary traveler to ride her, then takes to the  air, and evaporates, and the unfortunate rider falls to his death.

Hmm, rather glad not to have met any horses quite like that, in real life!